BOSTON, Mass. - Defending champion Endicott College has been voted as the favorite to win the 2014 Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) baseball championship after receiving eight first place votes for a total of 80 points in the CCC preseason coaches' poll. Western New England University, the 2013 runner-up, was selected second after earning the remaining first place vote and a total of 69 points. Salve Regina University claimed third with 67 points, while Roger Williams University placed fourth after receiving 54 points to round out the top four. Receiving 37 points, Wentworth Institute of Technology was picked to finish fifth.

Voting for the preseason poll was conducted among the league's nine head baseball coaches.

The top two teams in the 2014 preseason poll faced off for the CCC title a season ago. The Gulls were victorious over the Golden Bears after Endicott worked its way through the CCC tournament to win its fourth consecutive elimination game by a score of 12-3 to be named the 2013 CCC baseball champions. The 2013 title was Endicott's first conference championship since 2006, as the Gulls unseated the Golden Bears who had claimed all five CCC baseball titles since they joined the conference in 2008.

Endicott and Western New England participated in the NCAA Division III Baseball Tournament in 2013, as the Gulls earned the CCC's automatic bid and the Golden Bears earned a pool c bid into the tournament. Both teams notably competed in five games in the national tournament. Impressively, Endicott started off 3-0, but was knocked out after suffering two losses to top seeded Southern Maine, while Western New England started the tournament 1-1, earned two more wins, but was also defeated by Southern Maine to end its tournament run.

The Leopards return their top three hitters as well as four pitchers who combined to win 12 games a season ago. Head coach Steve Studley, who enters his 10th year at the helm, saw his team finish with 16 wins last season which included a 2-1 upset win over eventual CCC Champion Endicott in the opening round of the conference tournament. At the plate, Wentworth returns catcher Jake Mailman, a two-time All-CCC selection, who led the team last season with a .367 average to go along with 14 doubles, two triples, 36 RBI, an on-base percentage of .453, and a slugging percentage of .532. Three-time All-CCC selection shortstop Jon Spitz returns after hitting .347 with five doubles, seven stolen bases, 35 runs scored, and 11 RBI as a junior, while second baseman Joe Hulme, an All-CCC selection last season, returns after hitting .337 with four doubles, a triple, 10 stolen bases, 26 runs scored, and 21 RBI a season ago.

On the hill for Wentworth, Ben Lewis returns after posting a 6-3 record with a 3.59 earned run average and 43 strikeouts in 52.2 innings of work, en route to being named an All-CCC honoree. Dakota Baird, Justin Voytek, and Paul Vergara also return after picking up a pair of victories for the Leopards last season.

Weather permitting, Wentworth opens its 2014 campaign on Wednesday, March 5, at MIT before heading to Florida for its annual spring break trip from March 8-16.

(Portions of this release courtesy of the Commonwealth Coast Conference)

2014 CCC Baseball Preseason Coaches' Poll